Heel clamp



April 1937. w. H. POINDEXTER 2,076,863

HEEL GLAM P Filed April 27, 1935 gmnnto'c W2' 1 l i Cm H. Pofnc/exier, w 1/4672. Q%4fi% Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES HEEL CLAIVIP William H. Poindexter, St. Louis County, Mo.

Application April 27,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new anduseful improvements in heel clamps the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The main objects of my invention are to provide means first,'for clamping a heel firmly to the shoewhile the interposed cement is'setting; second, for locking the clamp in position; third, for providing a self-contained'clamp which continues its hold upon the heel independently of any machine, and thus allows of handling the shoe and clamp as a unit in further operations on the shoe till it is desired to remove the clamp; fourth, for speedingup the finishing operations on shoes by use of my device in multiple applied to multiple shoes being finished; and other objects hereinafter described and claimed.

When the heels are cemented or otherwise fastened to shoes, it is necessary to clamp them in position while the cement sets, or other fastening is effected. Furthermore," succeeding operations on the shoe that require its removal from the.

machine are delayed by the machine now in use till the heel is firmly secured on the shoe.

My heel clamp applied to the shoe by hand or otherwise, and locked on the shoe holds firmly together the heel and shoe and interposed cement; and immediately upon such clamping attachment, will allow of handling the shoe and my clamp as a unit (unconnected with any machine) while succeeding finishing operations are performed. Thus with my device it is not necessary to wait (as is customary) for the cement between the heel and shoe to set and secure the heel in position. Also, a multiple number of my heel clamps can be used on multiple shoes in the course of being finished, and thus speed up shoe production with corresponding reduction of cost.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 represents a top view of a clamp exemplifying my improvement, the upper portion of the connecting post being shown in section;

Fig. 2, a side View of the same partly broken away and the section for Fig. 1, being shown by line l--l near the top of the post;

Fig. 3, a sectional elevation on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, showing a portion of the raised handle locked in its upper position and the pawl disengaged from the ratchet teeth, allowing free movement of the presser head upward; and

Fig. 4, a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the pawl engaging the stop pin which throws the pawl backward against the forward tendency of the spring.

1935, Serial No. 18,582

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates an upright piece or post, square or otherwise, having an L-shaped offset at its lower end forming a rounded end 2 with a vertical hole in which is slidingly mounted a vertical stem 3 hav- 5 ing a top 4 preferably rounded cylindrically transversely and serrated or otherwise adapted to support a last contained in a shoe, as indicated by dash lines in Fig. 2. A stiii coil spring 5 mounted on said stem between the offset end 2 and said top, is variably tensioned and controlled by nuts 6 threaded on the stem below said offset, forming an adjustable stop for the upward tendency of the spring. A strong spring base and support for the shoe yieldably is thus provided.

On the post I is slidingly mounted the horizontally projecting arm of a presser head 8 and offset from the post in front and extending be yond and opposing said spring base so as to clamp an interposed heel, shoe and contained last in their reversed position as indicated in Fig. 2. This head has a deep vertical web'9: bearing against the adjacent front face of the post, and has also a rearward extension consisting of a pair of parallel cheek plates ll] extending past the sides of the post which they embrace by guide slots having shoulders H which engage the rear face of the post at each side of gripping means in the form of ratchet teeth [2 pointing downward from the support. The head is thus guided in its sliding adjustment on the post.

Between the rear lower end of these parallel cheek plates is located a pivot pin [3 on which is mounted a handle lever M, to the upper end 15 of which is pivoted a pawl l6 extending upward and normally pressed forward to engage its toothed upper end H with said ratchet teeth of the post. The lower pivot end of said pawl has a forward projection I8 which engages a stop pin I9 located in the circular path of said projection when it is swung downward by raising the handle lever from vertical to horizontal position. This engagement throws back the pawl by overcoming the forward pressure of said spring, and disengages the upper end of the pawl 45 from the ratchet teeth, to allow the head 8 to slide freelyupward on the post for releasing the shoe from its clamped position.

As shown in Fig. 3, said raised position of the handle lever brings the pawl pivot below the lever 50 pivot, so that the backwardly pressed spring, as jammed between the stop pin and upper end of the lever, willhold the lever handle raised in its horizontal position. The head 8 can thus slide freely up and down on the post for adjusting it to 55 meet the heel. It is prevented from sliding off the post by a stop preferably formed by a washer 23 secured to the top of the post by a screw 24.

The end of the arm on the head 8 has a horizontal rocker plate fitting the heel of the interposed shoe, and having vertical lugs 2| and pivot pin 22 by which it is mounted on a tongue 25 depending from said arm. This rocker plate provides a self -adjusting contact with various heights of heels and their various positions relative to the shoe.

Any suitable means for locking the handle lever in its vertical position near the post in order to maintain the clamping action while handling the shoe in succeeding finishing operations may be employed, but my preferred means is the following. When the lever handle is in vertical position against or near the post (see Fig. 2), the pivot of the pawl is swung into or beyond a line connecting the engaged upper end of the pawl with the pivot l3 of the lever, and the reaction of the pressure against the end of the pawl is exerted substantially through the pivot I3 and thus automatically locks the lever in its lower position close to the post. The maximum gripping pressure is obtained when the upper end of the pawl, its pivot and the pivot of the lever are brought substantially in line with each other by bringing the lever handle down adjacent said post, as indicated in Fig. 2. The last and shoe with the heel firmly clamped in its cemented position thereon, can thus be laid aside for the time required for drying the cement as previously stated. The alinement of the point of the pawl when engaged with the ratchet teeth, the pivot of the pawl and the lever pivot [3, occurs only when the pawl is in looking position indicated in Fig. 2.

My present application is an improvement and simplified construction over my heel clamp which was the subject of Patent No. 1,987,126, dated Jan. 8, 1935.

I claim:

1. A heel clamp of the class described having,

in combination, a vertical post having ratchet teeth, a presser head slidingly mounted thereon, an opposing heel support carried by Said post, a handle lever pivoted in said head, a spring-controlled pawl pivoted to the upper end of said lever and normally engaging said teeth and characterized by a projection near its pivot engaging a stop pin in said head for disengaging the pawl from said teeth when the lever handle is swung upward away from. the post, to allow the head to slide upward on the post and release the clamping action.

2. A heel clamp of the class described having, in combination, a vertical post with ratchet teeth on its rearward face, a heel support carried by said post, an opposing presser head mounted on the post above the heel support and characterized by cheek plates extending rearward of the post between which are mounted a pivoted handle lever having a pawl pivoted to the upper end thereto extending upward having a forward projection engaging a stop pin for throwing backward the pawl against the pressure of a spring interposed between the pawl and upper end of the lever, and holding the lever handle in its upper position while the pawl is disengaged.

3, A heel clamp of the class described comprising an L-shaped post having a spring support for engaging the top of the last and notches forming ratchet teeth pointing downward from said support, an opposing head slidingly mounted on said post, ahandle lever pivoted in said head, and a pawl pivoted to the end of said lever extending beyond and substantially alined with the lever when the pawl is in locking position so as to bring the end of the pawl when engaged with said notches, its pivot, and the lever pivot, all substantially in line with each other to exert maximum gripping pressure on the heel and shoe last interposed between said support and head, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. POINDEXTER. 

